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New Pool Turned Green Overnight

Hi,
New member here. Our pool was plastered with River Rok June 8th and filled by June 10th. Pool tech came out on June 11th to do pool school, and added startup chemicals. They gave me 4 weeks supply of chemicals, to be added each Thursday. Yesterday was our first day, and we added the following:

Re: New Pool Turned Green Overnight

Without testing there's no way to know exactly what's going on with your water.

With brand-new plaster the pH will rise very quickly for several weeks, and will tend to rise more than usual for up to a year. Lots of acid is not unusual in the early days of a plaster pool. But you won't know when or how much to add acid if you don't test!
--paulr

Re: New Pool Turned Green Overnight

Get your own test kit... in the long run it will save you. In the short run it might save you too, because new plaster pools really do have serious pH management issues. If you can do your own test every day you'll be able to keep on top of things and not have to keep running out to the pool store.

Around here we really like the Taylor K-2006, also sold by Leslie's as the FAS-DPD Service Kit (but probably not stocked by the store), and the TF100 from tftestkits.net (which is what I have). These kits have all the tests you really need, including the FAS-DPD chlorine test (can't shock properly without it) and the CYA test.
--paulr

Re: New Pool Turned Green Overnight

I don't necessarily trust these numbers, but if they are accurate, your PH is too low and so is your TA. I think you maybe overdoing it a bit on the acid additions....with your own test kit you can test and dose accurately and avoid dramatic fluctuations.

Also your CYA is a little high too, for operating an SWG you don't want it above 80.

You really need your own kit to determine if these are accurate.

If this is algae starting, you'll need to shock your pool. That's gonna be kind of hard without your own kit and having CYA at 100.

Re: New Pool Turned Green Overnight

Ok, spoke to the pool service co that my PB contracted with, and read her the test results that we got from a local pool store. She believes we may have overchlorinated, given that it's really not been hot or sunny here this past week. She wants us to add 1/2 of a 25lb bag of alkalinity and see what happens in 3-4 hours. Does this sound right?

Re: New Pool Turned Green Overnight

Overchlorinated? For your CYA of 100, minimum FC is 7, so you are already too low. You really want to target about 12 until you can get the SWG operating. "Overchlorinated" wouldn't affect low ph or TA readings, and it wouldn't make the pool turn green. Doesn't sound right to me.

Do you have the alk up already - otherwise it's the same thing as Baking Soda, only Alk Up costs more. Sure add it, won't hurt, it'll raise the TA up slightly, won't do much for the PH but that should rise on it's own from the plaster curing, and it won't do anything for the green....

Re: New Pool Turned Green Overnight

We had lots of rain yesterday/last night, and woke up to a green pool - clear, not cloudy, but definitely green.

Lot's of good advice above but please don't overlook what made your pool turn green....lack of chlorine.

You need chlorine in your pool and you need to continually replenish it.......it's the only thing that will fight the algae (that's the green in your pool) and keep your water crystal clear if you maintain it (the chlorine) properly

Re: New Pool Turned Green Overnight

Good news! Was finally able to reach original tech on his cell. He believed it was metal in the water, and had us add 4 qts of Sequa-sol, a sequestering agent. Woke up this morning to a beautiful blue pool!